A needle safety device of this kind is known from WO 99/08742 and EP 1 363 690, wherein a clip made of sheet metal is provided as a needle safety element in which two resilient arms extend from the proximal rear wall in a distal direction and intersect. In the ready position, bent distal ends of the arms, which are opposite each other, abut on the needle shaft, and in the protective position they cover the needle tip. Such a needle safety element can be used in connection with a catheter, as known from WO 99/08742, wherein the needle safety element is held in the catheter hub until the needle is displaced so far out of the catheter that a radial projection on the needle shaft engages with the proximal rear wall of the needle safety element, whereupon the needle safety element is withdrawn from the catheter hub with the needle. Likewise, this known needle safety element can also be used without a catheter device, as shown for example in EP 1 363 690. Additionally, from EP 1 363 690, the combination of the needle safety element with a sleeve is known. In the protective position, the proximal rear wall engages the radial projection of the needle shaft via the sleeve.
As the needle shaft extends between the intersecting arms of the needle safety element, the arms are formed relatively narrow in the middle portion. In the protective position, in which the needle safety element is positioned freely at the needle tip and the arms are no longer guided through the needle shaft, a lateral displacement of the arms of the needle safety element can occur during handling.